1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a stencil making and printing system, a control method thereof, and a stencil making and printing machine, which perform a stencil making and printing process in an on-line mode or off-line mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is a stencil making and printing machine including an original reading section, a stencil writing section and a printing section, which are integrally constructed. In such a stencil making and printing machine, the original prepared as a paper medium by user""s operation is read, and then, a stencil making and printing process for an original image reading the original is performed. The stencil making and printing machine performs the above stencil making and printing process in the independent form.
On the other hand, a method has been employed such that the stencil making and printing machine and a computer system such as personal computer are connected via an interface system such as a controller or the like. A user prepares a digital original by application built in the computer system, and thereafter, transmits it to the stencil making and printing machine by remote control so that the stencil making and printing process can be performed.
As described above, the stencil making and printing machine performs the stencil making and printing process of the original image reading the original in the independent form; in this case, the above method is called as an xe2x80x9coff-line modexe2x80x9d. On the other hand, the stencil making and printing machine receives the digital original from the computer system, and then, performs the stencil making and printing process of the digital original; in this case, the above method is called as an xe2x80x9con-line modexe2x80x9d. As shown in FIG. 1, the user properly makes a selection of processing mode of the stencil making and printing machine, using on-line/off-line selection means such as a mode selection key provided on the stencil making and printing machine.
As described above, the stencil making and printing system is constructed in a manner that the stencil making and printing machine has two modes, that is, off-line mode and on-line mode; however, the stencil making and printing system has the following technical problem to be solved.
FIG. 2A shows a time chart of stencil making and printing process by a conventional stencil making and printing system.
At the time T101, the user changes a mode of the stencil making and printing machine into an off-line mode by the mode selection key, and then, makes a necessary operation with respect to a control panel on the stencil making and printing machine. Thereafter, at the time T102, the stencil making and printing machine starts a stencil making process in the off-line mode. At the time T103, the stencil making process ends, and then, the user confirms one trial print (first print) outputted by the above stencil making process. At the time T104, when the confirmation of the trial print is completed, subsequently, the stencil making and printing machine starts a printing operation, and then, the printing process is carried out by the time T105.
In this case, during the following period, the stencil making and printing machine outputs a busy signal indicative that it is busy (operating mode), to its internal computer system and an external computer system, and thereby, an intervention operation by other stencil making and printing job is limited. The period includes the panel operation from the time T101 to T102, the off-line stencil making process from the time T102 to T103 and the off-line printing process from the time T104 to T105.
However, for the period (time T103 to T104) when the user confirms the trial print, the stencil making and printing machine becomes a standby mode, and the busy signal is an off state; for this reason, the intervention by other stencil making and printing job is possible. One example of the intervention is shown in FIG. 2B.
In FIG. 2B, after the stencil making process by the off-line mode ends, at the time T109 when the user is confirming the trial print outputted in the stencil making process, another user starts an on-line stencil making process by remote control.
In this case, the user, who is confirming the trial print, intends to carry out an off-line printing process after the confirmation is completed; nevertheless, an interruption is made by other job. As a result, the user must wait until the interrupted other job is finished. In addition, a (master) stencil made for the time T102 to T103 is discharged into a stencil disposal box in a stencil making process by other user from the time T109; for this reason, the user must try the stencil making process again.
As described above, in the stencil making and printing system constructed in a manner that the stencil making and printing machine has two modes, that is, off-line mode and on-line mode, the stencil making and printing job processing at present is interrupted by another stencil making and printing job; as a result, a processing efficiency becomes worse.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem in the related art. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a stencil making and printing system, a control method thereof, and a stencil making and printing machine, which can improve an operability in a stencil making and printing process, and has a high processing efficiency.
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stencil making and printing system, which transmits a print information from an external computer system to a stencil making and printing machine via a controller, and carries out a stencil making process and a printing process based on the transmitted print information by remote control from the external computer system in the stencil making and printing machine, wherein the stencil making and printing machine limit an intervention operation from the external computer system by outputting a busy signal indicative that the stencil making and printing machine is a busy state, and giving the busy signal as an answer to the external computer system via the controller for a predetermined time after the stencil making process and for a predetermined time after a printing process.
With the above construction, for the predetermined time after the stencil making process and the printing process, the stencil making and printing machine becomes a busy state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an interruption by the intervention operation from the external computer system by another user.
Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stencil making and printing system, which has an on-line mode of transmitting a print information from an external computer system to a stencil making and printing machine via a controller, and carrying out a stencil making process and a printing process based on the transmitted print information by remote control from the external computer system in the stencil making and printing machine, and an off-line mode of reading an original by an original reading section included in the stencil making and printing machine, and carrying out a stencil making process and a printing process based on a read print information in the stencil making and printing machine, wherein the stencil making and printing machine generates the signals of: an internal busy signal indicative that internal units of the stencil making and printing machine is a busy state; a timer busy signal indicative that the stencil making and printing machine is a busy state for a predetermined time after the stencil making process and for a predetermined time after the printing process; an external busy signal generated by the logical sum of the internal and timer busy signals, and further, limits an operator intervention in the off-line mode by the internal busy signal, and limits an intervention operation from the external computer system by the external busy signal being given as an answer via the controller.
With the above construction, in the stencil making and printing system having the on-line mode and the off-line mode, for the predetermined time after the stencil making process and the printing process, the stencil making and printing machine becomes a busy state to the external computer system. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an interruption by the intervention operation from the external computer system by another user, and further, to carry out the intervention operation by the off-line mode in the same manner as the conventional case.
Further, there is provided the stencil making and printing system, wherein the stencil making and printing machine is shifted to the off-line mode in the case where an original detection means included in the original reading section makes a detection that the original is set on the original reading section.
As described above, the detection that the original is set is made, and the process mode is automatically changed, and thereby, the stencil making and printing machine is easy to handle, and it is possible to perform stencil making and printing process at a high processing efficiency.